Bose corp. has filed a law suit against Beats Electronics for infringing on several patents. The legal action appears to stem from the claim that the active noise cancellation found in Beats products is based on Bose’s own technology that has been available for consumers since the year 2000. Why Bose chose to wait so long before moving to protect their intellectual property is in question; although many assume that it has something to do with the impending acquisition of Beats by Apple.
The complaint outlines Bose’s work with noise cancelling technology that spans back to 1986 prototypes designed for the US Army and Air Force. Possibly to establish that they got there first, and have a legitimate claims against anyone who has been trying to copy their technology. However, the patents being infringed in this case were issued as recently as 2013; giving the company plenty of ammunition against the competition.
Bose even goes on to complain that Beats “specifically encourages users to use the infringing functionality. Beats advertises no method to turn off features that cause end users to directly infringe.”
While no mention of Apple was made, it is likely that the lawsuit comes as Bose is trying to begin the proceedings before Beats is sold off. Things may not look good for Cupertino if it gets dragged into another protracted legal battle. Especially as the current issues with Samsung are far from over.
[Source: Ars Technica]
